Quick release magazine catch



Jan. 11, 1944. .1. R. SMITH 333,740

QUICK RELEASE MAGAZINE CATCH Fned July 1o 1942 uviuyh' Mad/7% Patented Jan. 11, 1944 UNITEDv STATES QUICK incLEAsEi MAGAZINE oA'roH Application July 10, 1942, Serial No. 450,442

9 Claims.

This invention relates to new and improved quick release magazine catches especially adapted for rapid iirearms.

-Objects of the invention include the provision of a quick release magazine catch which is effective to permit the release of a magazine from a firearm with the use of but one hand, which also supports the firearm, so that the other hand may hold the new magazine ready for instant insertion; the provision of a magazine catch which need not be touched to insert the magazine and which may be moved in either of two directions to release the magazine; and the provision of a catch for a magazine which may be operated quickly to allow for loading the firearm in a few seconds.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a firearms magazine holder and catch embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the device shown in Fig. 1;

- Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing how the spent magazine is released by pulling the catch tab in one direction;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing how the spent magazine is released by pushing the catch tab in the other direction;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the catch tab looking in the direction of arrow 5 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the lower end of the catch spring arm.

In the drawing the numeral I indicates the fore end of an automatic gun having a, rectangular magazine holder I2 bolted thereon in position to hold a releasable magazine I 4 in position to feed shells I6 to the breech of the gun. The magazine holder may assume any shape or size to suit the circumstances, and it is here shown as hollow and open at its lower end to accommodate the magazine. This magazine may be elongated to any desired extent and is commonly used as a foregrip for the gun. Shells I6 are shown headed towards the muzzle of the gun and are spring-pressed upwardly one by one to be received in the breech as the next prior shell is red and ejected.

A spring arm or strip of spring metal I8 is bolted to the magazine holder I 2 adjacent its top as at 25, and depends down past an aperture 22 at the gun stock end or rear end of the holder. A forwardly extending stud 24 is xedly secured at the lower end of the spring-arm by a head 26 or other means to be caused to be projected through the aperture into the magazine, the latter being provided with a complementary aperture 28 for thisv purpose. In this manner the magazine is held to the gun in operative position and the Vforward end of the stud 24 is provided with an angled cam face 30 to allow the magazine to be pushed upwardly past the stud Without the necessity of retracting the stud manually. As thus far described, the stud 261 could be retracted merely by pulling backwards on spring arm I8, i. e., to the left in the gures, but this action requires one hand to support the gun and one hand to pull the spring arm, so that after the spent magazine is removed, a new magazine must be picked up by hand and inserted in the holder, this action consuming valuable seconds in reloading.

To avoid the necessity oi using two hands to release the catch, a tab 32 is provided, this tab having side edge flanges 313 for receiving the edges of the spring arm therebetween and an aperture' through which the stud 24 isv slidably movable. The tab has a depending linger piece 38 which is flanged at one side as at 4U and knurled' on the other as at 42 so as to provide non-slip surfaces at both sides, and the tab itself is mounted on the stud loosely to depend therefrom.

The spring arm I3 is relatively stiff and constantly urges the stud into the area of the maga" zine through the tab aperture 36 and resiliently bears against the rear side of the tab, holding'.

it tightly against the magazine holder so that the tab is prevented from being detached under an r conditions of use.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it being desired vto release thel magazine I4 and reload, the gun itself is grasped in one hand and the forefinger of the other hand is inserted under the finger piece of the tab 32 to exert a pull in the direction of the arrow A with the finger. The upper edge 44 of the tab is fulcrumed on the wall of the holder i2 and the tab is pivoted thereabout to force the lower end of the spring arm and hence stud 24 rearwardly from the magazine so that the latter may fall out. Then the finger piece is released, the parts of the catch return to Fig. 1 position, and the free hand picks up another magazine and jams it into the holder. In Fig. 3, the tab 38 acts like a second class lever.

As shown in Fig. 4, however, the operator may grasp the holder I2, or the magazine, in one hand, and supporting the gun by this hand. use

the thumb or heel of the hand to thereby push the finger piece in the direction of arrow B, whereupon the holder provides a fulcrum for an intermediate part of the tab, as at 46, so that the upper edge M of the tab is swung in a direction opposite to its movement in Fig. 3, and this upper edge bears against the spring arm and moves it rearwardly, as a first class lever, carrying the attached stud 24 therewith to retract it from theY magazine, releasing the latter. This entire operation leaves the other hand free to hold the new magazine which may be jammed into the holder the instant the spent magazine falls out. Clearly the releasing and reloading operations of Fig. 4 are seconds quicker than those of Fig. 3, and it is these seconds that will count in military operations. However, the method of Fig. 3 may be used if desired, and it is seen that the construction is the same in both cases, and provides for releasing the magazine whether the tab ringer piece is pushed forwardly of the gun or pulled rearwardly thereof.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I doA not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a magazine holder, a spring arm, a stud associated with the' spring arm and adapted to be resiliently urged relative to the holder by the spring arm into position to engage a magazine in the holder, and a movable element mounted between a wall of the holder and the spring arm and being effective to engage said spring arm and move it in the region of the stud in a direction relative to the holder to release the magazine, said element being manually movable in at least two directions and accomplishing its magazine releasing action in either direction of movement.

2. In a device of the class described, a magazine holder, a spring arm secured adjacent one ofY its ends to the device, a stud on said spring armadjacent its other end and facing the holder said spring arm normally resiliently pressing said stud into said holder, an element arranged between a wall of the holder and the spring arm, said element being mounted to swing in two directions and being effective to engage the spring armV adjacent its stud end and force the latter away from the holder in either direction of its swinging movement to retract the stud from the holder.

3. In a device of the class described, a magazine holder, a spring arm secured to said device and' having a free end, a stud secured to said spring arm at its free end and being arranged to be normally resiliently pressed into said holder by the action of the spring arm, a rigid element located between the spring arm and a wall of the holder and having a portion extending beyond the spring arm for convenient manual manipulation, said element being swingable in either of two opposite directions on the wall of the holder asa fulcrum and being effective to act as a lever in its swinging movement in either direction to pry the free end of the spring arm and its stud away from the holder to retract the stud from the holder.

4. In a device of the class described, a magazine holder, a spring arm secured to said holder at one end, a stud secured to the other end of the arm and being normally resiliently pressed thereby into the holder, a rigid element arranged between the spring arm and a wall of the holder and being pressed by the former against the latter, a finger piece on said element for manually swinging the same in either of two directions whereby the element is pivoted on the wall of the holder as a fulcrum, said element acting as a first class lever when swung in one direction to bear against the spring arm and retract the stud and. acting` substantially as a second class lever when swung in the other direction and again bearing against the spring arm to retract the stud, whereby the spring arm and stud are moved. in the same direction by swinging the element in either direction.

5. In a firearm having a holder for the releasable attachment of a magazine, a spring arm secured to the device adjacent a wall of the holder, said spring arm having a free end, a stud on said free end, stud receiving means on said holder wall, said spring arm normally resiliently pressing said stud into engagement with the stud receiving means, a tab looselyl mounted on said stud, the latter projecting through the tab, said tab being pressed by said spring arm into engagement with said holder wall, said tab extending beyond thev stud at two sides thereof and being swingable on said holder wall as a fulcrum to engage and force said spring arm free end away from the holder wall to retract the stud.

6. AA rearm as recited in claim 5 wherein said holder wall forms the fulcrum for one end of the tab in one swinging movement of the latter.

'7. A firearm as recited in claim 5 wherein said holder wall forms theY rfulcrum for an intermediate portion of thetab in one swinging movement of the latter.

8. A firearm as recited in claim 5 wherein said holder wall forms the fulcrum to one side of the stud receiving means for an end ofthe tab and at the other side of the stud receiving means for, an intermediate portion of the tab selectively, depending on the direction of swinging movement of the tab.

9. In a device of the class described, a magazine holder, a spring arm, a stud on the spring arm adapted to be resiliently urged thereby relative to the holder in a direction to engage and latch a magazine in the holder, a movable element substantially in the form of a lever mounted between the spring arm and a relatively iixed part of the device, said movable lever element being manually manipulatable in at least two directions and bearing against said Xed part of the device as a ulcrum, and bearing against the spring arm to thereby retract the latter and stud from magazine-engaging position in either direc- JOHN R. SMITH. 

